episode_0036

“Mom, look at this! It’s snowing!”

“Yeah. It’s snowing today.”

On one side, commoners came out to enjoy the festival.

“Hehe, anyone up for a snow fight? Everyone here is already covered in snow—pffft!”

“How does it feel to be caught off guard?”

“Hey, why did you throw that at my brother instead of them?”

“Where’s the younger brother in deciding who’s the king of this neighborhood? Eat this!”

On the other side, siblings were enjoying a snow fight.

And then.

“Where are you going? Are you going to enjoy the festival?”

A much younger older sister than now.

Her current maturity and sophistication had not been developed. The age of the cheeky girl, who hadn’t lost her innocence, was seventeen at that time.

There was a young boy, sparkling with excitement, chasing after his older sister.

“Wow. This is a snowflake festival…!”

And a boy three years younger than her was capturing scenes worthy of this age.

The sight of snow fights, warm food stalls, and bustling streets, filled with wondrous things, was a mystery in itself.

Moreover, for Karsein, an unspoiled child, and for the boy who had always been confined to the mansion and isolated by the chairman, it was even more so.

Anything was good.

How about trying something with the falling snow?

How would it feel to hear and write about things never seen on the street?

How about strolling around the streets buying this and that like other kids?

For the curious Karsein, just coming out to this street was satisfying.

“Karsein.”

“Huh? What is it?”

Curious about what she might do, Karsein asks with sparkling eyes.

And he anticipates. What words will he hear from his older sister?

“You said you wanted to enjoy the festival, right?”

“Yeah, of course!”

“Well, here. You can enjoy it however you want. Play as you wish.”

Ariana took out 300 pesos from her wallet and dropped it into Karsein’s hand. It was his allowance.

Receiving his allowance, the excited boy was happy but also worried.

“I got in big trouble today… Can I really have fun?”

However, the eyes of the sister who brought the boy were chillingly cold.

“Oh.”

That short word was Ariana’s last word.

“Yahoo!”

The boy jumped up and down, excited.

His feet, like a donkey, ran freely through the streets, untying everything in their path.

Then the snow began to fall.

In the boy’s hands, an array of strange foods, toys, and playthings were gathered.

But soon, he lost interest.

Despite the freedom he had gained.

Despite the money he had received as permission.

Even beyond that, despite what might be his only chance.

“It’s no fun playing alone.”

Karsein was not enjoying himself at all.

Because he was alone.

Then suddenly, a scene on the street caught his eye.

“This is a gift for my mom!”

“Oh my, thank you.”

A son was seen presenting a prize to his mother on the street.

The son, looking at his smiling mother, seemed somewhat disappointed, scratching his head.

“It would have been nice if I got something better.”

“No, just having my son take care of me like this makes me happy enough.”

That scene made Karsein, who had been locked in solitude, move again.

Prizes for family.

Gifts.

And

“Sisters, brothers, and Mom. They would like it if I gave them gifts, right?”

It was the attention of family.

“Yes. They will definitely like it. By giving them something hard to get, I’ll surely receive praise!”

Karsein made that promise and brushed the snow off his backside.

Once again, the snow began to fall.

Under the once blue sky, the white snowflakes now looked as if they were burning red, and soon the lanterns began to light up.

Karsein’s hands were full of bags. He had collected a lot from somewhere.

However, the boy didn’t know where the carriage that brought him here was supposed to go from this street.

Only Ariana, who had brought him here, knew the location of the carriage.

“Um… If Ariana is waiting, she’ll come, right?”

Wandering, Karsein sat on a pile of rocks, moving his legs as if excited. Perhaps he was expecting to surprise someone when they saw it.

Let’s build a stone tower during this time.

While building this flat one, Ariana would surely know her way and come find him.

However, Carsein collapsed the stone tower several times in that spot.

Stacking. And stacking again.

Even after several hours, Arina did not show up.

Instead, those who came to find her while she was waiting.

“Hey~ Look at this? You look like a nobleman, don’t you? Why are you carrying so much?”

“Heh. They’re all prizes, aren’t they?”

“Oh, come on. Isn’t that just useless stuff then?”

“No, it’s not. If I sell these, it’s all money.”

They were ruffians much larger than himself.

“Hey, that’s mine!”

“Hey, sir. If you don’t want to get hurt, just hand it over, okay? It doesn’t even look like it has any insignia.”

“Why should I give up what I’ve worked hard for?”

“Oh, come on. Just shut up and hand it over. Are you itching to get hurt?”

“Haha. There are always kids like this. Stupid ones who still think they can walk the streets proudly.”

“How many times do we have to hit these brats? That’s the remedy.”

The boy was robbed of everything he had.

Because he resisted, his tender skin turned purple with bruises, and the places he was hit swelled and throbbed.

Then, Carsein was finally discovered.

It was only after a long time had passed since he built the stone tower that a knight revealed the fact that he was here.

“Carsein…! What on earth… No. No. Let’s go home quickly. My son. Okay?”

His mother, who suffered from mental illness, was horrified.

That’s how difficult it was to see Carsein’s condition.

Behind Isabella, Arina watched Carsein with surprised eyes.

Only then did Carsein feel relieved.

Because his big sister appeared, he could bring out what he had hidden tightly in his arms.

“This… A present for Arina noona…”

What he extended with his delicate arm behind Isabella’s shoulder was a hairband adorned with snowflake decorations. It was a small gift for his sister who often tied her hair in a ponytail.

His vision flickered.

The precarious stone tower stood as if nothing had changed.

Even if it rained or the wind blew, it seemed to stand guard over it.

The anticipation of Carsein, who built this stone tower, would not have been different from mine.

That’s why I got angrier.

“Carsein!”

Right behind him.

The person who made this stone tower appear had arrived.

-Ding!

***

It was a mistake.

Mother noticed that Karsain wasn’t present, and the family’s knights were dispatched.

Ariana couldn’t stay still. She quickly checked the carriage first.

But.

“What? No one has returned by carriage?”

“That’s right, miss.”

Karsain didn’t return by carriage.

There was no doubt in Heron’s words. Karsain hadn’t returned after finishing the festival, which raised questions for Ariana.

‘Where could he be…?’

Even as she thought this, Isabella’s concern for Karsain would deepen. Ariana gripped the reins and galloped off without hesitation.

After searching for a while on horseback.

She found a boy staring at a pile of rocks in an inconspicuous nook.

“That, could it be?”

Even though his hair seemed black, there was a hint of blue, giving her certainty.

Ariana got off the horse and called out his name.

“Karsain!”

After searching for a long time, she found him. As she got closer, she realized that his physique and attire were no different from what he wore during the festival.

Only then did she feel relieved.

If she took Karsain back to her mother like this, she could enjoy the festival without worry.

Of course, the family’s knights would have to spend money for their troubles, but she also felt responsible to some extent.

If she had initially brought up the ban on outings, Karsain wouldn’t have felt so bad.

This time, she didn’t overlook this fact.

“I understand if you’re upset. I told you to enjoy the festival, but deep down, I didn’t trust you. So, I wanted to test you.”

“What test?”

“To see how much you’ve changed. That’s why.”

Ariana continued, tucking her hair behind her ear.

This, too, required valid evidence since Karsain might not believe her.

The forgotten and missed birthday gifts formed the basis of the family meeting held before the snowflake festival.

Arina was determined to persuade Karsein with that.

She planned to mention the lifting of the ban on going out while observing the situation.

But Karsein was sharpening a sharp knife.

“A few years ago, was that also a test for me?”

“What… What are you talking about?”

“Why. Don’t you remember this either? Like during the coming-of-age ceremony?”

As Karsein turned around, the place that had been concealed came into Arina’s view.

“Here. The place where you left 300 pescels for 14-year-old me and told me to have fun and come back.”

“…!”

Only then did the memory come back.

A stack of flat stones piled up.

Underneath, Karsein showed no signs of maturity.

This place was…

It was a place engraved with the past of 17-year-old Arina Vagrand.

“Ka, Karsein. That was… back then…”

Arina couldn’t bring herself to speak.

Karsein once again pierced Arina with a cold gaze.

“You said it was because I got into a lot of accidents. Well, it must have been the same back then. Right?”

“No! Karsein. I, back then…!”

“Do you want to say you didn’t know it would turn out like that?”

…!

Her words burst out from Karsein’s mouth.

Her blue pupils were frozen in confusion.

“I was too young back then. Too young to make a proper judgment.”

Even as she muttered, trying to make excuses and avoiding eye contact, Karsein firmly held onto her.

“It’s okay to make excuses, but don’t lie. You got me kicked out of the academy because I caused so many accidents. You wanted to see me in a miserable state.”

“I may not know other things, but this is not a lie! I… I didn’t expect you to go through that on the streets…!”

She immediately shouted that it was never her intention.

“It was a disgrace to the family every time I caused an accident. But… I didn’t want to see you being beaten and dragged around miserably. This is the truth.”

No matter how much Karsein disliked it, she never expected her to end up in such a state.

I wish I could disappear somewhere, but I didn’t expect to be discovered like this outside.

Even now, my heart remains the same.

“… My mistake from my childhood. I’m truly sorry for that. I… you…”

“Put it away.”

“Karcein…”

He tried to apologize for his past actions, but Karcein abruptly cut him off.

“You’re worried about your mother in this situation, so you want me to enjoy the festival? Do you think I would do that?”

“…”

“Just leave me alone because it’s annoying. There won’t be a repeat of being stupidly beaten up and returning as a duke like back then.”

-Young master!

The knights of the Vagrant family quickly arrived. However, they couldn’t take Karcein with them.

“Karcein… wants to be alone.”

“What? But…”

“Just leave me alone. This is my fault. I will take responsibility and explain to Mother.”

Karcein slipped away among the knights.

The knights couldn’t hide their confusion, but since Arina said she would take responsibility and speak to the Duchess, they had no choice but to return to their positions.

After sending the knights away, Arina stood there for a while, looking at the spot where Karcein had been standing.

Then.

-Tuduk, thud. Clatter.

The precariously stacked tower of stones collapsed.